Cancer Virus

The discovery of the Epstein-Barr Virus

Dorothy H. Crawford, Ingolfur Johannessen, and Alan B. Rickinson

The first account of the discovery and importance of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)

Tells the fascinating story of the virus that can cause cancer

Includes a number of interesting characters and personal accounts relating to the discovery

Demonstrates the global impact the discovery had

Written by three leading virologists who have contributed significantly to the understanding of EBV

Takes a look to the future to consider both prevention and cure

Cancer Virus

The discovery of the Epstein-Barr Virus

Dorothy H. Crawford, Ingolfur Johannessen, and Alan B. Rickinson

Description

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was discovered in 1964. At the time, the very idea of a virus underlying a cancer was revolutionary. Cancer is, after all, not catching. Even now, the idea of a virus causing cancer surprises many people. But Epstein-Barr, named after its discoverers, Sir Anthony Epstein and Dr Yvonne Barr, is fascinating for other reasons too. Almost everyone carries it, yet it is only under certain circumstances that it produces disease. It has been associated with different, apparently unrelated, diseases in different populations: Burkitt's Lymphoma, producing tumors in the jaw, in African children; a nasal tumor in China; glandular fever in Europe and the USA; and the majority of cases of Hodgkin's Disease everywhere.

This book tells the story of the discovery of the virus, and the recognition of its connection with these various diseases -- an account that spans the world and involves some remarkable characters and individual stories.

Cancer Virus

The discovery of the Epstein-Barr Virus

Dorothy H. Crawford, Ingolfur Johannessen, and Alan B. Rickinson

Table of Contents

AcknowledgementsPrefaceIntroduction1. Out of Africa2. The Eureka moment3. Convincing the Sceptics4. EBV in Africa - Burkitt lymphoma5. EBV in Asia - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma6. New Diseases - An accident of nature; an accident of medicine7. Unexpected Arrivals8. Prevention and Cure9. Making Sense of a Human Cancer VirusReferencesFurther ReadingGlossaryIndex

Cancer Virus

The discovery of the Epstein-Barr Virus

Dorothy H. Crawford, Ingolfur Johannessen, and Alan B. Rickinson

Author Information

Dorothy H. Crawford has been Assistant Principal for Public Understanding of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh since 2007. Her previous books include The Invisible Enemy (OUP, 2000), Deadly Companions (OUP, 2007), and Viruses: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2011). She was elected a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2001, and awarded an OBE for services to medicine and higher education in 2005.

Ingolfur Johannessen is a Consultant medical virologist and senior lecturer, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh.

Alan B. Rickinson is Professor of Cancer Studies in the School of Cancer Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Cancer Virus

The discovery of the Epstein-Barr Virus

Dorothy H. Crawford, Ingolfur Johannessen, and Alan B. Rickinson

Reviews and Awards

"...serves as a unique and early chapter in what is now a hot field of biological inquiry." --The Scientist

Cancer Virus

The discovery of the Epstein-Barr Virus

Dorothy H. Crawford, Ingolfur Johannessen, and Alan B. Rickinson

From Our Blog

By Dorothy Crawford On 24 February 1964 a young research virologist at the Middlesex Hospital in London peered at the screen of an electron microscope and saw a new virus. It turned out to be a human cancer virus ' the first ever discovered.